Macron told Putin about the impossibility of paying for gas in rubles

French President Emmanuel Macron, during a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, announced the impossibility of paying for gas contracts in rubles. This was reported by REUTERS, citing a statement from the Elysee Palace.

Another conversation between Putin and Macron took place on the evening of March 29. According to the Kremlin, the parties discussed the evacuation of civilians from Mariupol and the transition to Russian rubles when paying for gas contracts.

On March 23, Putin announced the imminent transition of the country to payments in rubles for gas supplies to "unfriendly" countries - this list includes 46 states, including the EU countries, the usa and the UK. At the same time, Putin stressed, RUSSIA will continue to supply natural gas in accordance with the volumes and pricing principles fixed in earlier contracts. In this regard, he instructed the government, together with Gazprom, to amend the existing contracts. The President also ordered the development of a "clear and transparent procedure" according to which foreign consumers should be able to pay for gas in rubles.

Many European energy companies have announced that they do not intend to pay for gas in rubles, as already concluded agreements provide for payment in euros. In particular, Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi said that the Italian oil and gas company will not pay for Russian gas supplies in rubles, since it does not have the opportunity to do so in rubles. According to him, deliveries from Africa can become an alternative to Russian gas. Similar statements were made by the Austrian OMV, the Polish PGNiG and the Lithuanian Ignitis grupe.